Search engine optimization (SEO) involves several digital marketing practices that improve a website’s ranking and visibility. One of these strategies is link building, which is acquiring backlinks to your website. But what are backlinks, how do you get them, and why are they an essential part of any SEO plan?
Our Henderson and Las Vegas digital marketing team explains the importance of backlinks and how they can help your website rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs).
What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks, also called inbound links, are any links on other websites that direct users back to your site. For example, another website may reference a blog or resource page you published on your site as a source in their own content. Other sites may refer to your brand name directly and link to your homepage in their content.
In summary, a backlink is a clickable hyperlink on a website that points back to a page on your site. Having more organic backlinks can boost your authority and credibility, helping your site rank higher when people search for specific keywords.
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Why Do Search Engines Value Backlinks?
A recent Backlinko study found that the top Google SERP results have about 3.8 times more backlinks than positions 2-10 for the same query. The data also shows that the number of outside domains linking to a page correlates with its rankings. This confirms just how valuable backlinks are to Google and other search engines. Here is why.
When another website links to your site, Google translates this as a type of “vote” and passes some authority to your website. It tells Google that the information on your site is trustworthy, accurate, useful, and overall valuable to the consumer. In fact, measuring backlinks was part of Google’s original PageRank algorithm. While it is not quite as important as it used to be, having high-quality white-hate backlinks to your website is still valuable. It inherently shows how important a webpage is by having other important pages linking to it.
The study also found that backlinks remain one of Google’s key ranking signals. More backlinks from multiple domains are value indicators, giving your website more credibility and authority.
Are All Backlinks Equal?
While securing backlinks is generally a useful strategy for SEO, search engines do not see all backlinks as equal. Some backlinks will carry more value and give your website a significant authority boost compared to others. Here are a few factors that set backlinks apart.
Backlinks From Websites with Authority
Google determines a website’s content value by weighing experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) signals. Based on this, domains that hold significant authority are going to be more valuable than others in terms of backlinks.
When a website with a higher authority gives you a backlink, it essentially passes its authority on to you. This means that it is more beneficial to receive a backlink from a trusted and recognized website versus an unknown domain. For example, a backlink from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold much more value than one from a diet blogger.
Backlinks From Websites Related to Your Content
Relevance is another crucial factor that can make backlinks more valuable. If the website linking to your page is related to your content, the inbound link will hold more weight than if it came from a domain that has nothing to do with what you offer.
If an unrelated website links to one of your pages, it can come across as an unnatural or forced connection. Google and other search engines may consider this a “black-hat” practice and even penalize your website for a spammy backlink.
Strong Anchor Text
Anchor text refers to the actual words or visual elements that are hyperlinked to your website. When the backlink includes your target or related keywords, it can help to build your domain’s authority and improve organic rankings.
However, backlink anchor text should avoid keyword stuffing or forcing ungrammatical keywords into content when they do not make sense. Again, this could be flagged as a black hat technique and hurt your website’s rankings.
Diversity Over Repetition
Although you might think more backlinks are better, that is not always the case. You want to focus on a range of backlinks from several domains rather than all your backlinks coming from the same website.
While it is not necessarily a bad thing to have a website link to you multiple times, every subsequent backlink will not provide as much value as the first or a backlink from another site.
How Do I Get Backlinks for My Website?
The link-building process takes time and effort because you must approach it from different angles and from an organic, natural approach. There are several steps you can take to get backlinks for your site, such as:
- Building connections with others in your industry
- Creating in-depth, high-quality content that is worth linking to
- Finding opportunities to pitch your content or expertise
- Identifying outdated links on relevant sites and offering your resource as an alternative
These are just some ways you might build backlinks that support your overall SEO efforts. However, it is best to combine link building with other SEO strategies, including conducting thorough keyword research, utilizing best practice content writing and development, and ensuring your website’s technical SEO elements are sound and maintained properly. You can also benefit from working with a professional SEO expert who understands link building.
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Are Outbound Links as Helpful as Backlinks?
If backlinks to your website are valuable, it makes sense that linking to other domains from your site would also be helpful. It turns out that outbound links can be beneficial, but not in the same way.
External links to other websites can improve the user experience and show topical relevance between your pages. This can also help search engines understand what your content is about. While it is unclear if this directly affects SEO, it shows that you source information responsibly, which can be a content quality signal.
Upgrade Your SEO With Professional Digital Marketing
With decades of experience in SEO best practices, Salomone Digital Marketing has the knowledge and resources to build quality backlinks for your website. You can also combine our SEO services with other digital marketing services and strategies, such expertly crafted PPC and paid advertising campaigns, for the most visibility for your brand.
Learn how we can help you take your website to the next level with digital marketing services in Las Vegas, Henderson, and available to all United States businesses. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and a free quote!
